Contents

Life

Hamfast was born in 2926, the third son of Hobson Gamgee, who was a roper by trade. His mother's name is not known.

He entered the service of his uncle, Holman Greenhand, and became a gardener. One of his first jobs was tending the garden of Bag End. On June 22, T.A. 2942, he and Holman tried frantically to keep the garden in order during the auction of the presumed-dead Bilbo Baggins. It is likely that at this time he already lived at Number 3, Bagshot Row.

When Lotho and eventually Sharkey took over the Shire, the Gaffer was evicted from Bagshot Row, and he moved in with Famer Cotton. After the Battle of Bywater, in which he only had a marginal role, he moved back into the newly restored New Row, while Sam moved into Bag End. He was looked after by the Widow Rumble, and died in Fourth Age 7.

Etymology

Gaffer

"Gaffer" is a word for "foreman". Hamfast most likely got it when he stopped working himself, and started to become other people's boss. For the etymology of gaffer, see here.

Inspiration

In Letter 257, J.R.R. Tolkien recounts a holiday to Lamorna Cave in the early 1930's. To amuse his sons, he named a local Gaffer Gamgee. This "curious local character" was "an old man who used to go about swapping gossip and weather-fashion and such like". The surname was chosen because it alliterated with Gaffer.

Tolkien had several encounters with actual Gamgees, however. Gamgee Tissue, a word young Ronald considered comical, was named after J. Sampson Gamgee (1828-1886), a famous Birmingham surgeon. The Gamgees were notorious surgeons - years later, Dr. Leonard Gamgee tended those war-wounded, including Lieutenant Tolkien.